When the Chinese fleet ignored the heavy Spanish artillery fire and approached the Spanish fleet without fear, the face of the commander of the Spanish fleet became extremely ugly. The artillery battle between the two sides lasted more than ten minutes, and the observers of the Spanish fleet clearly saw that at least seven or eight shells hit several Chinese warships. If it was a wooden battleship, several huge holes would have appeared in the side of the ship after a few shells. In particular, the shells that hit the waterline of the Chinese warship should have caused huge damage to the hull, and the undulating sea should have been frantically pouring sea water into it.

But none of this happened, and the shell that hit the position near the waterline was forced to bounce off the hull of the Chinese warship. The British used to use centuries-old oak trees bought by the United States to make hulls and bounce off the Spanish shells. The Spanish artillery is no longer comparable to that era, and the fact that 24-pounder guns and even 32-pounder guns cannot penetrate the hulls of Chinese warships makes the Spaniards feel that it is a nightmare.

The Chinese like to say that blessings and disasters do not go alone, since the Spanish shells can hit the Chinese warships, the shells of the Chinese warships can naturally also get the Spanish warships. It is true that the level of artillery bombardment of the Chinese army is inferior to that of the Spanish, but there are at least five French shells that hit the Spanish fleet. Every shell caused a huge amount of damage. China used grenades, and in the thick shell part, the shells exploded violently. A massive explosion blasted through the ship's hull, sending flying pieces of iron and wood chips through the nearby Spanish sailors, beating them like hedgehogs. In the thinner section, the shell exploded after drilling directly into the Spanish warship. It was a terrible disaster. The sailors were killed and wounded in large numbers, and the hiding room was in shambles.

The result of continuing to fight like this was destined to be tragic, and the commander of the Spanish fleet had reached the moment of decision. Is it to go? Is it to stay? Looking up at the bright stars rising in the sky, the commander of the Spanish fleet felt that if only the moon shone brightly, things would never turn out as they are now. The heroic descendants of the Armada have too much experience to follow, and now that night has turned into day, the worst has become a reality. The Spanish fleet had to fight a decisive battle with the enemy's powerful fleet with its weak forces.

At this moment, the first mate rushed to the commander of the fleet in a mournful manner, and he almost cried out: "General, the wind has stopped. ”

The old general was stunned for a moment, and he raised his eyes to look at the sails illuminated by the bright new star, and all the sails that had once been bulging hung limply. The wind is strong! With the capabilities of the Spanish fleet, they could do it as long as there was a wind, even against the wind. This is the accumulation of the hegemons of the seas.

But without the wind, the Spanish fleet was completely immobile. The commander of the Spanish fleet, who was very well versed in history, suddenly remembered that in 1588, the Spanish Armada also encountered the problem of wind stoppage in the naval battle between the Spanish Armada and the English Tudor navy, and the cunning English fleet was able to recover from the defeat and finally turn defeat into victory. It was one of several defeats in which the Spanish Armada was bitterly defeated. If the hateful Protestant navy had been wiped out that time, Britain would not have risen and the Spanish Empire would have ruled the world.

"General, the Chinese warships are starting to move away!" A new report is back.

This time, without asking, the fleet commander could see with the naked eye that the approaching Chinese Navy was beginning to move away from the Spanish fleet. But they did not have the slightest hint of a truce, but began to outflank. The maneuverability of the steamships was fully revealed at this point, and the speed of such a huge creature in the wind was actually very limited, and the Spanish sail battleships could easily run more than 15 knots, leaving these steamships behind. But in the unpredictable seas, the mediocre speed and unconventional maneuverability of the steamship show its might.

The commander of the Spanish fleet began to draw a cross on his chest and began to pray. Oh my God! Save your people, and if there is a wind, even the slightest wind, the Spanish warship will turn its bow and form a direction to meet the enemy.

It is clear that God never answers the prayers of his people. Now there is not a trace of wind, and this is God's response to His people. The Chinese fleet did not go around the Spanish bow and turn it sideways, as the Spanish fleet had imagined. The Chinese warships faced the Spanish galleons straight in. The Spanish Navy, which was praying with the fleet commander on the deck, saw that bright fire flashed on the foredeck of the Chinese warship, and the cannonballs flew straight and smashed directly into the middle of the deck, and the projectile body broke through the deck and drilled directly into the cabin. Then the Spanish warship shook like a mountain.

Three hours later, Liu Sha looked at the results of the battle with satisfaction. Three Spanish warships were sunk, and the largest of the man-of-arms battleship was captured in a battered state. Capturing a Spanish galleon is already Liu Sha's greatest wish at this time, this ship can be converted into a Chinese training ship, and driving a Spanish galleon, it will definitely be able to train more outstanding naval soldiers.

As for the willingness of the Spaniards to surrender, Liu Sha was surprised, but also very happy. It was not only Liu Sha who was happy, but also the Spanish sailors, and God finally showed that it was not the most vicious enemy who fought against the Spanish navy. The men of the sea will choose to survive when faced with a certain situation, and since God cannot let them win, then the one who can keep them alive is God. Undoubtedly, the signal of the Chinese Navy to surrender the Spanish warship was so cute in the eyes of the Spanish sailors.

It was at this time that the wind picked up again.

Not a breeze, not a gale, not even a squall. It was an extremely strong hurricane, and in 21st century parlance, it was a typhoon. In less than half an hour, the surrendered Spanish warship was overturned in an increasingly strong wind and waves because of too much damage to the hull. The God that the Spaniards believed in had finally made its own statement.

"Withdraw in the direction of Taiwan!" The commander of the fleet gave the order. The bumpy ships are all moving north at full speed, and it is too unlucky to encounter a typhoon, and the first thing to do at this time is to ensure the safety of personnel.

"What about the comrades who came ashore?" Someone at the command asked.

The commissar said decisively with an indescribable expression: "We have to believe in our comrades in the army!" ”

If we had forcibly landed at this time, I was afraid that many warships of insufficient tonnage would capsize, and at that time not only would it be of no help to the 800 people who had already landed, but the loss of personnel would be far more than 800.

The commissar may have felt that his words were too cruel, and he continued: "We must believe that the comrades of the army can overcome difficulties on their own!" As soon as the wind passes, we will be back! ”

Soldiers at sea have seen typhoons, and the earliest route is from Qiongzhou to Hongji Coal Mine, which will lead to capsizing when encountering a typhoon in the offshore. The Navy's first few ironclad ships capsized in a typhoon due to a problem with the center of gravity. The wind does not end in a day or two, and the violent hurricanes and torrential rains are a terrible test for every ship.

No one objected to a retreat, and even if eight hundred of his comrades were left behind in Luzon, retreat would be the only right choice. R1292